Witch Hunt
by Gianni Lee
Summary: In a small town in Maine a witch hunt will begin unless the B.A.U. can solve a series of murders…and quickly before an innocent woman and Dr. Reid fall victims to a town's hysteria.
1. Witch HUnt

DISCLAIMER:

I own nothing. All rights remain with ABC Studios, CBS Television Studios and The Mark Gordon Company. Neither I, nor this story, are affiliated with above mentioned companies or any of their associates or subsidiaries, nor do I receive any monetary compensation from the publication of this narrative.

A/N: Willow Creek, ME is town of my own creating any semblance to an existing town is pure coincidence, I have never been to Maine (but the pictures I've seen are pretty) and I mean no offense. I also want to thank ladymatsudai for answering my questions about Maine.

As always, please review, I love reading them.

._.._._..~~~**~~~.._._.._.

Witch Hunt

Chapter 1: Witch Hunt

The crisp October breeze gusts for several minutes, forcing people to snuggle deeper into their coats and quicken their pace to their destination. The gust slows to a gently breeze causing the autumn colored leaves to make soft scratching noises as they tumble carelessly across the sleeping landscape. The fresh, clean scent of snow is carried on the air despite the clear sky and weatherman's predictions to the contrary.

She always did love the snow. She would gripe and complain with the rest of the world, but secretly she was a giddy as a child. To her world always looks so pure and clean beneath a thick, glistening blank of snow. Her favorite childhood memories are of snow forts and snowball fights with her brothers. They would run around in the snow for hours, finally scampering into the house with bright red noses and cheeks. Mommy would wrap them in thick warm blankets by the fire and daddy would make hot chocolate with the little colored marshmallows they loved so much. But tonight she doesn't care about snow as she lies amidst the dried leaves in a small circle of stones. Her thin white gown and bare feet provides no protection from the cold, but she doesn't care. Her dark eyes up at the near full moon, a brown seven day candle securely in her hands cast a faint flickering light. Her short auburn locks flutter in the night, and tangle in her eyelashes, but tonight she doesn't care. They'll find her in the morning…her eyes still staring up at the October sky.

"Her name is Ashley Bradford." JJ says, bringing up an image of a 23 year old woman in a thing gauze gown and bare feet. Her short auburn hair is windblown and littered with leaves and small twigs as she lay in a small circle of rocks with an extinguished seven day candle at her head. A second seven day candle is at her feet, a third to her left and fourth to her right and in her hands she seems to be holding a fifth seven day candle. Her eyes are open and staring up at the sky. The group began flipping through the files JJ had handed then earlier.

"She was reported missing by her roommate on September 5th and found by a group of hikers two days ago just outside Willow Creek, Maine." JJ continues.

"It says here a note was recovered from her mouth. 'Keeper of the gate, master of all fate. Accept this offering, know this prayer'." Reid reads, his mind racing to find some literary match.

"Yes, this is the second body they found like this. This is Kimberly Webster; she was reported missing on September 20th when she failed to report to work. The locals are asking for help." An image of Kimberly came up on the screen. A young black woman in early twenties wearing the same gown and surrounded by the same pile of rocks and candles is on the screen.

"These girls are showing no sign of physical abuse, or ligature marks." Emily Prentiss points out.

"And no sign of rape." Morgan adds. "These bodies look as if they're laid out for some sort of ritual. Was a note found on Kimberly?" Morgan asks.

"The same note. Any literary correlation?" Prentiss asks, looking to Reid and Rossi.

"None that I'm coming up with. It says in the coroner's report that Ashley Bradford died of Anaphylactic Shock; it seems she has a recorded allergy to peanuts. But I don't see a report for the other victim." Reid admits.

"Yeah the family is refusing to allow an autopsy, stating it violates their religious beliefs. They're holding things up with a court battle."

"I'm not seeing a time of death." Prentiss notes.

"Both girls were embalmed that makes it extremely difficult for the coroner to get an accurate time of death." Rossi

"So what does this say about the unsub?" Hotch asks.

"Organized, methodical, patient. These women were kidnapped back in September and it's now October." Morgan points out.

"We also can't over look the occult overtures with these. They look too neat for your standard cult, this is something else." Rossi adds.

"These women look as if they were taken care of, well fed, clean. That kind of care indicates a woman." JJ says.

"But the bodies were found several miles from a road, that's a lot of strength, and that's a man."

"Two unsubs." Rossi voices.

"Wheels up in thirty minutes." Hotch says, gathering his papers and leading the way out of the small room.

..~~~**~~~..

"Sheriff Jedidah Williams is the one who requested our assistance. He's out of his element and knows it. The town is small with a population of 1,500 and a police force of 20 officers. The last murder was 40 years ago. It's also a 2 hour drive from the nearest airport." JJ reports.

There was a collective groan from most of the passengers.

"I noticed the sheriff seemed especially adamant that we take this case. Did he mention why?" Reid asks.

"He said there is a pagan living in Willow Creek and he fears for her safety."

"Is she a suspect?" Morgan asks.

"No, she has a solid alibi for the dates of the disappearances."

"We should still talk with her. Morgan, Reid I'd like you two to speak with her." Hotch says.

"Do we have any information on her?" Morgan asks.

"No, but I can call the Sheriff and have him put together a file on her." JJ says, as she pulls out her cell phone and begins dialing the phone number.

..~~~**~~~..

"Sheriff Williams, I'm Supervisory Special Agent Aaron Hotchner, is there someplace you'd like us to set up?" Hotch asks as he extends his hand to trim elderly man.

"Thank you for coming out so quickly, we cleared out a small room in the back it's not much but it's all I have really. At least the coffee is fresh." He said with a friendly smile.

"I'm sure it'll be fine, thank you." Hotch says as he team continues to lug their bags past him and towards the room the Sheriff was pointing to.

"I got your team set up at the Hanson's summer home; they're out of town for the winter and said we could use the house. It's about 20 minutes north from here, nice place. I got some people over there now getting it set up; it should be ready in a couple of hours."

Hotch was about to say something when the door to the small sheriff's office flew open and young slender red came storming in, catching the attention of everyone in the office, including the BAU. Her red hair pulled up into a French Braid which disappeared into her coat, her brown eyes blazing with fury.

"This isn't funny!" She shouts, slamming a crumpled sheet of paper onto the Deputy's desk. "Two weeks! Every night there's something, what are you doing about it?" she demands.

"Madison…" Deputy Whitney sooths as he stands up. "There's not much that we can do."

"There's an inverted pentagram painted on my front door!" she shouts, pointing in the general direction of her home "That's vandalism and that is illegal! They left another note! 'Burn the Witch'!" she insists, thrusting the crumpled paper at the deputy's chest."

"We will look into it." The deputy promises, taking the threatening letter from her.

"Just like the crank calls 4 months ago? You looked into that so well I had to disconnect my LAN line."

"We are a small force…"

"In a town with virtually no crime! Do something!" she says in exasperation, her face softening from anger to desperate frustration.

"We will, I promise." Whitney promises, still in a calm voice. "But we need you to fill out some forms." He continues leading the irate red head towards the chair opposite the Deputy's desk.

"What is that about?" Hotch asks in a quiet tone, turning to join his team.

"Madison Wilcox came to town about a year and a half ago, she's our resident witch…of sorts, and some of the locals don't appreciate her religious views. She gets her more than fair share of hate mail and dirty looks." The sheriff answers in an equally low tone. "She's a sweet girl, makes a mean pumpkin pie but since these bodies have been found, she been harassed a lot more than usual." The Sheriff sighs and glances over at this deputy who seems to have everything under control. "I did what you asked and put everything together I have on her." He adds, passing a manila folder to Hotch. "Whenever you and your team are ready, I can take you to the crime scene."

"We'll do all we can to get this solved as quickly as possible, but we are going to need to speak with her." Hotch promises.

"What was that all about?" Morgan asks, watching Hotch close the door.

"That would be Madison Wilcox." Hotch says, watching Rossi pin the pictures of the two victims to the large corkboard Ashley Bradford, followed by Kimberly Webster.

"The coroner sent a fax; they were able to determine that Ashley died before Kimberly." JJ says, in response to Hotch's puzzled expression. "Fortunately the press hasn't gotten wind of this yet, and I'm working to keep it that way. I was just about to pay a visit to the local newspaper." JJ says.

"Good job."

Reid stands next to Rossi and places two push pins into the map, indicating where the women were found. And two more pins to indicate where the victims lived, neither were residence of Willow Creek.

"Rossi work with Prentiss on victimology. Everyone else with me, we're going to look at the scene."

"What about…uh…" Reid starts.

"She's filling out paperwork regarding some vandalism she'll be here for a while." Hotch reports.

"It's just over here." The sheriff says. They left the hike trail about 10 minutes ago and were heading towards some thick brush towards a small area taped off with yellow crime scene tape.

"This is an isolated area…definitely difficult to get to." Reid points out, stumbling over out grown tree root.

"No kidding." Morgan agrees

"Our unsub must be in shape in order to carry a body this far." Hotch adds.

"Unsub?" the sheriff asks.

"Unknown Subject." Morgan answers before Reid can not only answer, but go into a 3 minute explanation as to why they use the phrase 'unsub'.

"No one would just stumble across this area." Hotch notes, watching Reid slip on a pair of gloves and crouch down by the circle of stones for a closer look.

"What's that mean?" the sheriff asks, knowing he's not going to like the answer.

"It means there's a good chance that out unsub is a local." Morgan answers, looking around, taking in the remote surroundings.

"You sure?"

"Either a current resident or someone who grew up here." Hotch clarifies.

"Uh…guys…" Reid calls out, noticing something beneath the leaves and dirt.

"What is it?" Morgan asks.

"I'm not sure…" Reid says carefully clearing away the debris to reveal a large wooden plaque covered in strange symbols.

"How did this get missed? The sheriff asks as he watches Reid carefully pry the object out of the ground.

"It looks like it was partially buried in the ground and then covered with dirt and debris to hide it. Reid says turning the piece over to discover more glyphs and runes on the other side. "I don't think we were meant to find this." Reid says, completely puzzeled by the piece in his hands.

"We need to visit the other site…see if there's something" Hotch says.


	2. The Crafted

DISCLAIMER:

I own nothing. All rights remain with ABC Studios, CBS Television Studios and The Mark Gordon Company. Neither I, nor this story, are affiliated with above mentioned companies or any of their associates or subsidiaries, nor do I receive any monetary compensation from the publication of this narrative.

A/N: I apologize for the delay, Dragon Age 2 came out and I got sucked into my game for a bit.

._.._._..~~~**~~~.._._.._.

Witch Hunt

Chapter 2: The Crafted

The sun shone brightly in the clear blue sky as the BAU team settled down to breakfast in one of Willow Creek's three restaurants. The thin brunette made her rounds refilling everyone's coffee, which Reid and Morgan had commented was some of the best coffee they've had. The waitress smiles, thanks them and throws a little wink at Morgan before turning her attention to her other tables.

"Did you two get to talk with Madison?" Prentiss asks, as she dives into her scrambled eggs.

"That reminds me." Hotch says to himself s he pulls out his phone to call Garcia to request a full background on Madison Wilcox.

"No, we didn't get back until after ten, so we're going to do that today." Morgan answers, reaching for a piece of toast.

"So what was this … thing you guys found last night?" JJ asks.

"It's a circular wooden plaque with glyphs and pictographs covering both sides. On one side of the first piece we found I recognize the symbols as Egyptian hieroglyphs and on the second I think they're Aztec." Reid answers. JJ quietly excuses herself in order to answer her ringing cell phone.

"Both cultures had pyramids, god-kings and a strong belief in the afterlife." Hotch points out.

"But Egyptians did not practice human sacrifice. And neither culture laid out their dead, or offerings in such a manner." Rossi pointed out.

"And something else, they were buried beneath the bodies, I only happened to come across the first one by chance." Reid adds.

"So it's possible these things are personal to our unsub." Morgan suggests.

"A serial killer who leaves trophies instead of taking them?" Prentiss sounds doubtful.

"Guys, they found another body." JJ says upon her return from her phone call.

.~*~.

The Reid, Morgan and Rossi hovered over the body while Hotch and Prentiss took in the surroundings and JJ spoke with the sheriff and local reporter working her magic to try and keep this story from making the evening edition.

"Do we have an ID on her yet?" Morgan asks, carefully looking at the candle in her hand.

"Um, yeah, JJ says her name is Spring Fitzgerald she's a college student in the next county." Reid answers.

"Are all of our victims from the same county?" Rossi asks.

"Yes." Reid answers.

"So our question should be what is in this county that keeps them coming back? It has to be something more than just a comfort zone." Rossi says, more to himself than to his team.

"The candle is still lit." Morgan notes a little surprised by the discovery.

"Well, with this type of candle and the fact that it is burned half way down it would stand to reason that the glass is acting as a barrier to the wind." Reid theorized, doing his best to wait patiently for his team to finish so the coroner could move the body and Reid could look for another plague buried in the ground.

Morgan carefully opens the victim's mouth and pulls out a small slip of paper. "Keeper of the gate, master of all fate. Accept this offering, know this prayer." Morgan reads aloud.

Finally the ME was allowed to move the poor woman's body so that Reid could begin examining the ground. As expected there was another piece of wood covered with even more peculiar symbols.

"You know, Madison might be able to help you guys with these symbols. She's rather knowledgeable in the…weird." Sheriff Williams suggests as he leans over Reid's shoulder curiously looking at the strange object. He is so engrossed in the thing that he misses the odd expression Reid gives him regard his choice of words.

"Well?" Prentiss asks, returning from her search for tracks or footprints.

"I don't know any of these symbols, but the Sheriff thinks Madison might be able to help." Reid says, slipping the item into an evidence bag.

"Getting her help will probably be quicker than trying to get a translation from Quantico. Sheriff would you please call her and her meet us at the station?" Hotch says upon his return.

"Sure." The sheriff then excuses himself as he pulls his cell phone from his pocket.

"Any luck on your end?" Morgan asks.

"All bad." Prentiss answers, revealing they found no footprints or tire marks fresh enough to be the Unsub's.

"Guys we may have a problem." JJ says upon rejoining the group. "The paper was cooperative enough to not cover the story; however, the local church has a website and someone started a blog about the murders. There are a lot of references to the 'godless overtones' in the murders and questioning how long a 'god forsaken heathen' will be allowed in their town." JJ reports as she quotes the language from the papers in her hand. "The reporter was kind enough to print out he blog in question…over half the town has read and commented on it."

"Do we know when it was posted?" Hotch asks.

"Last night around 10, posted anonymously." JJ answers.

"We need Garcia to track who posted it and speak with them." Hotch orders. Morgan is the first to pull out his phone to contact the BAU's resident cyberspace goddess.

"She's on her way to the station, should be there in 15 minutes." The sheriff reports, returning his phone to his pocket and oblivious the recent news JJ brought.

"Good, let's get going and meet her there." Hotch orders, leading the way to black SUVs the team drove.

.~*~.

"Sheriff, can you give me an idea of what is in the next county?" Reid asks as the group makes their way from the parking lot the police station.

"It's better to ask what isn't in the next county. They have a community college, shopping centers, movie theaters, hospital. Heck even our MEs are in the next county. About half the town works in the next county."

Hotch's phone rang, Garcia was on the other end bubbly announcing that she not only found the blogger, but his current address, which she sent to his phone and was in the process of doing a background check of the guy.

"Prentiss, Rossi, come with me; we're going to go talk with Joshua Miller, the man who posted the blog. You two work with Madison about the symbols." Hotch says, immediately turning around and heading back towards the SUV.

Once in the office Reid placed a pin indicating where Spring Fitzgerald body was found and a second pin indicating where she lived, again she did not live in Willow Creek. Reid studied the map closely his mind working fiercely to find a connection.

Morgan was up front, speaking with the Sheriff when Madison walked in. The sheriff smiled and greeted her with a warm friendly smile before introducing Derek Morgan.

"I assume you are here about the murders?" she asks.

"How do you know about the murders?"

"I read the church's blog." She answers with a shrug.

"But aren't you pagan?"

"Yes, but I often contribute to the church's bake sales and charity drives. Just because I don't share their faith doesn't mean I don't want them to succeed. What kind of person would I be if I could help but didn't?"

"Well, we appreciate your help with this." Morgan says leading the way towards the room the team had set up in. Madison pauses at the door a sudden thought causes her to hesitate.

"Are you OK?" Morgan asks, noting her uncertainty.

"Um…I'm not going to be looking at bloody bodies or dismembered…bits am I?" there is real genuine concern in her eyes. "I don't think I could ever get that out of my head."

"There are pictures of dead bodies, but no blood and they are all in one piece, I promise."

Madison visibly relaxes and follows Morgan into the small room, where she is introduced to Dr. Spencer Reid. The first thing she notices are the three women posted to the corkboard. She stares at the pictures with the flower wreaths on their head and the white gauze gowns.

"Odd…" Madison mumbles to herself.

"What?"

"The way they're dressed it reminds me of how young girls would be dressed for the Maypole, which is a fertility ritual." She moves closer to the board looking other items posted up on the board. "This is part of an invocation and has nothing to do with fertility." She adds pointing to the scraps of paper retrieved from the women's mouths. "Were all of the women were holding and surrounded by brown candles?" She asks, quickly reviewing some of the notes.

"Is there significance to brown candles?" Reid asks.

"Brown candles represents rebirth. But with these candles it takes days to burn down to this level." She answers her eyes dancing about the board, trying to make sense of what the unsub is trying to do.

"What invocation?" Morgan asks.

"Resurrection…This is the black arts." She points to the scrap of paper. "This is candle magic, several paths can and do use candle magic. But this guy is mixing fertility with rebirth and resurrection…which by the way are not the same thing."

"What do you mean?" Reid asks.

"Rebirth has to do with life going on after death, like the spring following winter or even the soul continuing after the body has died. Resurrection is the bringing of the dead back to life. These two ideas don't belong together."

"What about these?" Morgan asks pulling her attention to reason they called her.

"Wow." She says, her attention immediately upon the three plaques laid out on the table. "Just…wow. You have Egyptian, Aztec, Norse, Ogham Script, Greek and Native American. This is all over the place." She says flipping them over.

"Can you decipher them?" Morgan asks.

"Some of it. Do you have some paper and a pen I can use?" she asks, slipping out of her jacket. Morgan grabs a notepad a pen and hands them to Madison just as his phone goes off. Morgan steps out of the office to talk to Garcia. Without another word she jumps into deciphering the Norse Runes.

"You can read all of that?" Reid asks, in reference to all of the plaques before her.

"Enough to give you an idea about what they are saying. Language was my strong suite in college. I love languages, but I can read far more that I can speak."

"How many can you read?"

"Fifteen." She answers, not looking up from her translations, Reid's eyes widened in surprise.

"Um…" he says after a moment of silence to build his courage. "Are you a witch?" Reid gently asks.

"That depends on your definition of witch." She answers, still not looking up.

"Well, the dictionary's definition is a person, usually female, who practices or professes to practice magic or sorcery, especially black magic, or is believed to have dealings with the devil. An ugly old woman. A Wiccan priest or priestess. A fascinating or enchanting beautiful woman."

Madison finally looks up and Reid immediately wonders what he did wrong. She stands up and walks towards Reid, her honey colored brown eyes holding his as she speaks

"Well, I am not a follower of Wicca, nor am I a practitioner of the black arts, so are you saying I am an old ugly woman?" she asks, Reid finds him backing away until he bumps into the wall.

"No…I…no." he responds without hesitations.

"Then are you saying I am a young beautiful woman who has enchanted you?" she asks in a husky voice, her body mere inches from his.

"Um….no?" he uncertainly answered.

"Pity." She says in a quiet voice.

"Then according to the dictionary, no I am not a witch." She backs away, and turns toward the coffee pot. Reid is instantly captivated by her impossibly long red hair. Morgan enters the room and quietly makes his way to Reid.

"Just so you know kid…women don't generally appreciate it when you stare at their ass."

Reid felt the heat rush to his cheeks. "I wouldn't…. I wasn't… I mean it's just…I've never seen hair that long." He protests softly. Her hair is indeed long ending just below her backside. Reid quickly turns his attention back to the board as she turns to return working on her translations. While she works Morgan presents her information about rebirth and resurrection to the team. With that in hand Hotch feels they were ready to present the profile to the force. The team speak, each adding information about the unsubs. They inform the group that they are looking for a couple who recently lost someone close to them going so far as to indicate that they are looking for a man and woman either siblings or husband and wife. They would be equal partners and most likely have an 'us versus them' mentality, meaning that it's more difficult to turn one against the other during interrogation. They would have knowledge of embalming and see these women as object, hence the embalming. They went on to provide tips on how to approach the couple and what to look for in the way of vehicles and possible occupations.

"Mrs. Wilcox?" Prentiss asks, poking her head into the room.

"Madison, please. Mrs. Wilcox is my other Grandmother."

"Madison, it's been four hours."

"Holy wow! I just got involved…but this is really…different. Look at this." She says pulling out her pages of notes.

"What am I looking at?" Prentiss asks fully stepping into the room.

"These symbols are Runes, but the Vikings did not have a written language until the church stepped in. They had Runes, but Runes were used for divination, they're not an alphabet. It wasn't used as an alphabet until later." She set the piece aside and grabbed another piece which looked to be little the random lines. "And this is Ogham again using for a culture that did not have a written language, the Celts."

"What else have you learned?"

"I've only fully translated two tablets, but they are both the tales of a living god coming back to life after their death. I've only partially translated this one…" she says grabbing a plaque and flipping it to the Greek letters." …this is the tale of Persephone and Hades which is linked with spring retuning after winter or the dead coming back to life. And I would bet…" she indicates to the Egyptian hieroglyphs "…my next royalties check that it is the story of Isis and Osiris. This is Native American; again, only as an educated guess, would be a tale of Coyote who dies numerous times and returns. The ones I can't translate I bet my professor of comparative religion can, but I'd wager they are all tales of the dead coming back to life."

"What does that tell you about our unsub?" Prentiss asks curious for the woman's opinion.

"Your killer is not a pagan; they are mixing beliefs that wouldn't be mixed. You're looking for someone who wants someone back and thinks magic is the answer."

"But it won't work."

"Of course not. All of these stories are about the gods, not mortals. Death is a one way ticket...there is no coming back. But I should probably be getting home, do you need me to come back tomorrow and finish the rest?"

"No I don't think so, but will you be available if we have questions?"

"Sure, the Sheriff has my cell phone." She explains, slipping on her coat, not bothering to pull her hair free. "I should probably get going." Madison says picking up her purse and heads out the door. She is gone for only a few minutes before she comes storming back in complaining about 2 flat tires.

"Two?" the Sheriff asks.

"I probably ran over some nails or something when I went to the hardware store. Do you think I can get a ride home?" She asks.

"We can take you." Reid volunteers before the Sheriff can say another word. "I mean, Morgan and I were heading that general direction anyway, we can take you. Right?" He looks to Morgan for confirmation who pauses for only a second before agreeing.

"If you guys don't mind that would be great. I'll call Rob in the morning and get my car towed, ok?" she asks the Sheriff who nods. Morgan leads the way towards the SUV, informing Reid in a quiet, yet firm voice that he is sitting up front.

The drive was pleasant, Reid managing to keep a fairly constant conversation going by asking her about the translations and what she saw in the images on the board. Reid had even, and completely unintentionally, made her laugh. Reid made a mental note to ask Morgan what he said that was amusing.

"This is my house." she says, pointing to the small two bedroom home on the left. The porch light dark, which didn't alarm her, after all it was about time to change the bulb. What alarmed her is that the front door was open.

"My door is open." She says, needlessly pointing to the door.

Without another word Reid and Morgan left the vehicle, weapons in hand, Morgan took point while Reid instructed Madison to wait in the car.

The pair carefully push the door the rest of the way open, grey primer still evident covering the offensive graffiti. Morgan went in first, clearing the room to the left of the entry way while Reid took the right. After a few minutes they clear the house and Reid returns to Madison indicating that they didn't find anyone.

"Thank you." She says a touch of fear in her voice as she places a hand on Reid's arm. As if on cue, Morgan still standing on the porch, suggests the Madison take a quick look around for anything out of place.

She takes a few moments to search her house, finally stopping in the front room announcing that nothing seems to be out of place. The words are barely out of her mouth before the front window explodes inwards, showering her with glass. Reid grabs her and pulls her to the floor, shielding her with his body; while Morgan runs outside, gun in hand. A second projectile is hurled into the house and shattering against the far wall. Madison shrieks, and grips the back of his shirt tighter. Reid can hear Morgan barking orders and tires squealing; as he looks over his shoulder to see flames consuming the back wall.

"Madison, we need to get out of here." Reid says, watching the flames spread quickly though out the older home.

"Reid!" Morgan shouts upon entering the now burning house. "Come on, kid the whole place is going to go up!" Morgan exclaims as he grabs Reid's arm, hauling him to his feet. Both men alarmed at the rate in which the fire consumed the front room.


	3. Drawing Circles

DISCLAIMER:

I own nothing. All rights remain with ABC Studios, CBS Television Studios and The Mark Gordon Company. Neither I, nor this story, are affiliated with above mentioned companies or any of their associates or subsidiaries, nor do I receive any monetary compensation from the publication of this narrative.

A/N: I noticed the chapter did something weird when I posted it so I removed and reposted. I'm sorry for the false expectations, but hope you enjoy… Also:

Deosil - (pronounced Jess-el)

Samhain - (pronounced Sow-in)

._.._._..~~~**~~~.._._.._.

Witch Hunt

Chapter 3: Drawing Circles

Madison stands in the hot running water of the shower, her mind a flurry of activity and her emotions conflicted. The front half of her grandmother's home is completely destroyed by the fire, she thinks she should be grief stricken, or at the very least upset; however she feels nothing. She has no childhood memories of the house, and no emotional attachment to the house once so ever. She did have some personal items that were destroyed, but nothing she was especially attached to, the important and cherished items are safe in the back half of the house.

Maybe she's in shock and that's why she can't feel anything.

It suddenly occurs to her that it is well past two in the morning, almost three and she needs to calm her mind if was going to get any sleep. She tries focusing on the next book in her Grave Dancer series, a supernatural mystery series based in an alternate reality. The vampire and werewolf had finally come to terms with being partners within the police department. There would still have to be some witty snipes between the two, the fans seem to like that…maybe hint at a dark secret in one of their pasts. This book has to do with some disappearances, perhaps a murder in this one yes that would be good. Perhaps a witch is murdered during her ritual, while in her circle.

Then a thought strikes her like a bolt of lightning, on the fogged glass she makes one dot near the top for Ashley Bradford, then straight down from that dot she makes one for Kimberly Webster and finally one to the right she makes one last dot for Spring Fitzgerald. That is the order the ME said the women died, but not the order in which they were found…north, west and south…earth, water, fire…all they need is east for air, and then seal the circle. This will be finished on the 31st, Samhain. She has to tell someone. She turns off the water, wraps a towel about her dripping wet body and goes in search on someone … anyone who might be awake.

She follows the sounds of a running shower, and knocks quietly, but frantically on the bathroom door until a confused and sopping wet Reid opens the door.

"I figured it out." She blurts out as she steps into the steam filled bathroom. "I know why pattern of bodies didn't make any sense." She continues, rapidly pacing back and forth, clutching her towel tightly.

"Umm…Madison…" Reid starts, securing his towel around his waist, feeling very exposed.

"If you're looking at them in the order they died it makes no sense, but in the order they were found…" she continues, speaking quickly.

"Uh…what…"

"What is the first you do when casting a spell?" she continues, oblivious to Reid's discomfort.

"Gather…supplies?" he answers uncertainly, pushing his wet hair out of his face.

"No…well, yes that too, but you draw a circle. Look…" on the mirror she placed three dots, one of each girl. "When drawing a circle your use the cardinal directions and elements and always Deosil."

"Deosil?"

"Clockwise. You move north, west, south, east and return to north to seal the circle." To prove her point she creates a forth dot and draws a circle connecting all four dots calling out the elements "Air, water, fire and earth."

"Your killer is going to leave one more body and then return to the first dump site…that same night to seal the circle."

"where will; this site be?" he asks pointing to the fourth dot.

"It will directly across from this one. Same distance, otherwise it's not a circle."

"And then what?" Reid asks, keenly interested in her theory and forgetting that they were both nearly naked.

"Then they are going to try and raise the dead. But to do that, they need to sacrifice a life, and this specific spell. Any life will work, but your killer will probably opt for a human life. I mean, they've killed four, what's one more murder?"

"Do you know where the ritual will be preformed?"

Madison draws two line, one connecting north to south and second connecting west to east. She points as the intersecting point in the middle explaining that this area would be best but anywhere in the circle is acceptable.

"When will they try this spell?" Reid asks staring at the circle she drew in the mirror.

"Samhain…the 31st…when the veil between the worlds is at its thinnest. For the spell these lunatics want to try, nighttime would be best."

"That's tomorrow."

The sound of a woman quietly clearing her throat catches their attention. They turn to see Prentiss leaning in the doorway.

"Madison figured out where the next the body will be and maybe even how we can catch this guy." Reid explains.

"And the two of you figured this out while in the shower?" she asks, raising an accusing eyebrow.

"Yes." Madison answers, before realizing that both she and Reid were in nothing more that towels and how Prentiss was taking this situation. "Wait…not like that…we were in the shower…I mean separate showers…I was over ….and he was…is it getting hot in here?"

"Your towel is slipping." Prentiss teases pointing to Reid.

Madison glances over, then immediately pulls her eyes away. "Oh, Gods…I never…I didn't…Um…" she trips over her words as a bright red blush rushes over her cheeks. "I..uh…I think I'll just be running away now." She says, and bolts down the hallway towards her room.

..~~~**~~~..

Hotch wakes to the sound of his cell phone ringing for his attention. With a bleary eye he looks at the clock before answering the phone. The Sheriff was on the other end with bad news. The only thing worse than getting a 'we found another body' call, is getting it 10 minutes before the alarm is set to go off. Not the best way to start the day. He sighs, dresses and proceeds to wake the rest of his team.

Breakfast was skipped in favor of coffee and getting to the latest crime scene. The sheriff was there with even more bad news.

"On a hunch I checked out the Church's Blog, before heading out here. I think Madison is in danger." He says somberly, handing Hotch a print out of the latest posting. He reads only a few lines before sighing heavily and handing the packet to JJ.

"What?" Reid asks, seeing JJ's frustration and Hotch's contained anger.

"We need to get Madison somewhere safe." JJ says, handing the pages to Reid who reads the words in mere seconds.

"This is turning into a literal witch hunt." The Sheriff says, placing his hands on his hips.

"Madison thinks this will be over on Halloween." Reid says.

"That's today, kid. After what happened at her house…" Morgan sighs, then lightly smacks Reid's arm. "Reid and I can protect her. We'll take her someplace else and call you when we get there." Morgan says.

"Sounds good." Hotch says with a nod.

..~~~**~~~..

A good portion of the drive was in silence, Reid lost in his own mind until a question popped up that he couldn't answer.

"Um…Morgan, have you…ever been attracted to someone you shouldn't be?"

"You're sweet on Madison, aren't you?" Morgan asks with a broad grin.

"What? NO…no...that would be…no…there are regulations about….no…"

Morgan stares at the young genius, who finally caves in with a small yes. "I knew it!" he says with a laugh.

"This isn't funny. What am I suppose to do?" Reid asks.

"The only thing I really recommend is to not start a relationship with her until after this case is closed." Morgan says. "If you start something now it could compromise the case."

"But how do I stop these…feelings?"

"You can't control what you feel, all you can do is control what you do with these feelings."

..~~~**~~~..

Madison finally got to sleep as the team was leaving. She welcomes sleep dreamless embrace like a long lost lover. She doesn't know how much time has passed before a small sound pulls her from her slumber, she forces open one bleary and listens again for the sound again. Her heavy eyelid has just closed when she hears the small sound again, now she's fully awake, her mind finally labeling the sound. Footsteps and they were approaching the room she shares with Prentiss.

Maybe it's one of the BAU members, perhaps they forgot something. She thinks, but still finds herself slipping into the jeans and sweater she wore last night. She just throws her feet into her sneakers when she hears a couple of doors opening further down the hall. Someone is searching the house; she holds her breath and looks around the small room. Her mind is torn between hiding and escaping through the window. Given the only two hiding places are in the closet or under one of the two beds, she heads for the window.

As she climbs out the window the thought strikes her that if it is one the BAU team she will very foolish, especially if she is found dangling from the second story window. The next thought that occurs to her is that she is now dangling from a second story window. If she lets go she stands a chance of twisting her ankle or breaking her leg. She curses softly as her mind races on how to get out of this predicament.

"I found her!" a male voice cries, as strong hands grip her wrists. She shrieks as she feels herself being pulled back into the house. She kicks the air before planting her feet against the side of the house and pulling against her assailant. He cries out in surprise as he begins falling out the window. His friends were quick to respond, grabbing onto his belt to prevent him from falling out of the house. Madison could hear the grunts of effort as they try to pull him and quarry back into the room. She manages to pull herself up just enough to bite the man's wrist.

"Bitch!" He says with a yelp, dropping her in his surprise. She lands on her rump in the flower bed sending shockwave through her body, and knocking the wind from her lungs. She sits there in the cold dirt for a moment, desperate for a breath of air. With a grateful gasp she gulps down several panting breaths as she leaps to her feet planning on running to the road in front of the house. She makes it to the side of the house when she hears the front door open and a voice telling others to split up. Cursing under her breath she turns and runs into the woods for a couple of yards before turning to run parallel to the road. Unfortunately she doesn't get very far before one of her hunters launches himself grabbing her about her waist and taking her to the ground. She brings her hands up to break her fall she feels something pop in her left wrist and cries out in pain.

"I got her!" he cries out to his friends, hauling her to her feet. She screams her protests and flails about in an attempt to escape.

She was spun about and pushed into the arms of a dark haired man who roughly pushed into a third man with bright blonde hair. Her back almost collides with his chest, but he grabs her arms with bruising force before she pushes her face first into a fourth man who back hands her driving her to the ground. On her hands and knees with her wrist screaming someone kicked her ribs. She curls up on the ground desperate to catch her breath. There was another kick to her back before someone grabs her hair and hauls her to her feet. She starts screaming for help only to receive a fist to the gut, effectively silencing her cries. Coughing and desperate to breath two of the men haul her to her feet and begin dragging her through the wooded area.

"No. Please. Let me go." Madison pleads.

"We're going to have a good old fashion witch burning."

"No, please. I didn't do anything." She begs, her legs buckling at the thought of being burnt alive.

"FBI! Let her go!" a man shouted behind the group. When Madison was released out of surprise she collapses the ground. She looks back and sees Reid with his weapon drawn aimed at the group. She scrambles over to Reid, careful to remain out of his line of fire. She cowers behind the tall lanky man, clutching the back of his jacket.

"Please." she frantically whispers. "Please don't let them take me." She whispers, clinging to the young genius.

"I won't." he assures quietly.

"Spencer." Madison gasps, he turns in head in time to see a fifth man approaching from his blind side, leveling a shotgun at Reid. Reid spins, aiming his weapon at this new threat while still able to keep the gang in his peripheral vision.

"Put the gun down." Reid orders.

"Back off G-man, this doesn't concern you." The fifth man said.

"You're trying to kidnap and murder an innocent woman. How does this not concern me?" Reid says in a tone reserved for pointing out the incredibly obvious to the incredibly dense.

"Innocent is a relative term. The Bible says 'Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live.' And we've suffered enough."

"That's from the King James Bible. King James was notorious for being paranoid about witches, and spells, and is suspected of being misogynic. The King James Bible was translated to keep him happy, so they changed the word chasaph to mean 'witch'. The original Biblical passage was about the crime of poisoning in the Jewish community and says 'though shalt not suffer a _poisoner_ to live'."

"She killed all those girls." The blonde man said, pointing an accusing finger at Madison.

"She's not the killer." Reid protests, keeping himself between Madison and angry mob.

"She's bewitched him." The dark haired man whispers. From the corner of his eye he can see the small group take a hesitant steps towards him.

"Don't move!" he orders, keeping his attention focused on the main threat. "Put the gun down. Put the gun down!" Reid repeats loudly as the man with the shotgun spouts more biblical quotes regarding witches and false gods.

"I'd put the gun down if I were you." Morgan says, "We may not be able to take all of you down, but we can start with you."

..~~~**~~~..

Morgan paces in the waiting room as reports to Hotch about the attempted kidnapping of Madison on his cell phone while Reid keeps her company as she gets her wrist examined. She sit on the doctor's examination table, her incredibly long red hair falling freely about her shoulders; she's flinching and gasping as an elderly man carefully inspect her wrist. His small wire frame glasses are resting low on his beak shaped nose as his cold bony hands turn Madison's hand palm up. She yelps loudly and tried to pull her hand back, but the doctor does not surrender the appendage.

"Does that hurt?" he asks.

"No, not at all. I'm just wincing and making these sounds for my own amusement." She says in a cheery yet sarcastic tone. The old doctor just rolls his eyes to look at Madison over his glasses.

"Yes it flippin' hurts, OK." She answers with a tired sigh.

"You sit tight, I'm going to get some x-rays ordered for you." The doctor says, gingerly patting her shoulder.

"I'm going to check on Morgan."

"Please don't leave me!" she says suddenly grabbing Reid and then gasping in pain as she had grabbed him with her injured arm.

"I don't think you need protection anymore."

"In the past 36 hours I have been fire bombed, dropped from a second story window, chased through the woods, and have had my life threatened." She counters.

"But you're in a hospital now, surrounded by doctors, nurses, patients and two Federal Agents."

"Two Federal Agents were in my house when it was fire bombed, and six were known to be residing in the house I was taken from." She countered. Reid opened his mouth to argue, but promptly shut it when he couldn't find a logical argument. "It's not paranoia if they really are out to get you." She adds, then yawns heavily as the adrenaline finally wore off leaving her exhausted and in pain. In an effort to keep awake she began pressing Reid for details on the case, doing her best to pay attention especially when he starts to describe their potential unsubs.

"I think I know someone like that." she says, her words slurring and finding it increasingly difficult for keep her eyes open.

"Really?"

She hums in affirmative and leans back on the table. "The um…Emerson's they're an older couple…who lost their toddler a last year….I think they both work at a hospital." She says, closing her eyes, but refusing to release Reid.

"They both work in a hospital?" He asks, looking around for Morgan, trying to flag him over.

"Yeah, she's a nurse…I think, and he works in the morgue…maybe."

"Can you describe them?"

"No, I read about them in the church's blog and sent some money to the church for them. It's hard to think, I'm getting tired."

"That makes sense the adrenaline must have worn off by now." Reid says, and then begins to over-explain the body's need for adrenaline and sleep. After a moment he realizes that Madison is staring at him. He is use to people looking at him as if he were some type of freak, but the look in her eyes is sheer awe.

"What?' he asks.

"Watching your mind work. The way you move from point A to point B to point C. It's like watching a dance. It's beautiful."

Reid has been called many things in his life. He's been ridiculed, tormented and misunderstood because of his IQ and memory, but never has anyone used the word beautiful in reference to him. He stammers, unable to find the words.

"Can I eat your brain?" she asks, ruining the mood.

"What? No. I'm still using it!" He exclaims, to which she breaks out into a fit of giggles.

"What's so funny?" Morgan asks. Madison shakes her head and waves Morgan off, refusing to answer.

"What did the doctor have to say?" Morgan asks.

"He doesn't think it's broken, but wants to x-ray it anyway. I was telling Madison our profile and she thinks she might know someone."

"Who?"

"David and Margaret Emerson." Madison volunteers, snuggling down and getting as comfy as possible on the rock hard surface.

"She says they both work in a hospital." Reid offers.

"You stay with her and I'll start asking around." Morgan orders, as he heads out of the room before Reid can protest. Madison sits up suddenly, crying out as she puts weight on her injured wrist. Reid reaches out suddenly to helps her sit up, she rests her hands on his shoulders for balance. She mumbles an apology and looks up at him, bringing him within inches of her lovely face. Those incredibly beautiful honey brown eyes are searching his face, the barest hint of smile on her delicate lips.

"If you're wondering if the girl wants you to kiss her…she does." She says in a soft alluring voice, her finger tightening on his shoulder.

"I…I don't think…"

"Don't think." She whispers, pressing her soft lips to his. Her kiss is soft and sweet, making no demands, but promising the world. Reid allows himself only the briefest of moments to enjoy her kiss before self doubt and FBI regulations creep into his mind.

"No, I shouldn't take advantage." Reid says pulling away.

"Spencer…" she says his name softly "…you're not taking advantage." She assures, moving in to kiss him again when a nurse steps into the room.

"I'm here to take Ms. Wilcox to X-ray." The older woman says, offering to help Madison into a wheelchair.

"The doctor also ordered a shot for the pain."

"You'll stay?" she asks Reid, her eyes holding a touch of fear.

"I'll stay with you." He affirmed, watching the nurse administer the shot. Silently he follows the grayed haired nurse and drugged Madison out of the room and down the hall.

..~~~**~~~..

The sudden bustle of activity and excited murmurings lure Morgan down the hall and into a small room filled with X-ray equipment, medical personnel and one Dr. Spencer Reid sitting on an x-ray table, holding a bloodied towel to the back of his head.

"Reid! What happened? Where's Madison?" Morgan asks, pushing his way through the crowd.

"I don't know. A nurse brought Madison the x-ray room, I was waiting outside when I was attacked. When I woke up I was surrounded by doctors and Madison was gone." Reid explains as a young nurse carefully pulls away the bloodied towel to inspect the wound.

"Morgan, we have to find her!"

"I know."

"Madison said that the spell requires a life and she thinks they'll sacrifice a human."

"Yeah, I think they just got their sacrifice. Hotch isn't going to like this." Morgan says, pulling out his cell phone to inform their boss that they just lost Madison.


	4. Sacrifice

DISCLAIMER:

I own nothing. All rights remain with ABC Studios, CBS Television Studios and The Mark Gordon Company. Neither I, nor this story, are affiliated with above mentioned companies or any of their associates or subsidiaries, nor do I receive any monetary compensation from the publication of this narrative.

._.._._..~~~**~~~.._._.._.

Witch Hunt

Chapter 4: Sacrifice

The sun is low in the sky casting brilliant shades of orange and gold blending with a royal blue that fades into an indigo. It's 5:45 on Halloween. Time is running out and Reid knows it as he paces between the two evidence boards. His eyes are scanning everything while his mind tries to piece together where Madison could be. He'd drawn the circle on the map, and even the crosshairs connecting the four points, but there is nothing in that intersection except an open field.

Rossi and JJ had gone to interview the Emerson's, but they were not at home nor at work. Garcia sent all the information about the couple's deceased child to the team. The family was returning from dinner when a drunk driver hit the rear section of their car, killing the toddler instantly and hospitalizing Margaret while David only suffered a broken arm.

Garcia provided the team with a list of places that might have been special to the family, as well as the cemetery where the young child is buried. The BAU, with the assistance of local law enforcement, are doing their best to survey all those areas, but it is a lot of ground to cover. Hotch wanted Reid to remain behind and ordered Morgan to keep an eye on the young genius.

"Reid, you need to take it easy. The doctors said as much." Morgan says, watch the whirlwind of activity that has consumed Reid.

"Well I'm a doctor too and I say work is good for me."

"You're not a medical doctor."

"Give me two years." Reid snaps.

"Reid, stop!" Morgan angrily snaps. Morgan grabs Reid's arm and spins the young man to face him, pulling Reid away from his obsessive goal.

"I…I can't stop Morgan. I can't. I told her I wouldn't let them take her, and I failed. I have to find her. I have to save her. I don't know if you can understand that, but either help me or get out of my way." Reid pleads, the desperation in his eyes battles breaks through Morgan's defenses.

"What are we looking for?" Morgan asks with a sigh.

"I don't know. I just know that the answer is here." Reid confesses pointing to the circle he drew on the map. Reid rubs his forehead as he tries wishing away the headache and the nausea. The hospital had tried to prescribe him something for the inevitable headache, but he had refused, even going so far as tearing up the script the doctor had insisted on writing. One of the officers had given him an aspirin pack from the first aid kit, but Reid threw it away when the officer wasn't looking. His demons still lingered, waiting for him to tumble back into their waiting arms. Today would not be that day.

"Ok. We got a couple who want to bring their child back to life. Rossi and Prentiss have found no evidence that the kid's grave has been disturbed."

"It was closed casket. Maybe they never buried the child. It would be elaborate, but possible to switch the child with some type of weight." Reid says, still studying the map, where would a witch go to raise the dead?

Reid turns his face bright with an epiphany. "We've been thinking about this all wrong. We've been trying to find where a pagan would go. But Madison told us that these people aren't practitioners, they don't know what they're doing." He says hurriedly.

"OK, so if we're going to raise the dead, where would we go?" Morgan asks.

"A cemetery." They answer in unison.

"But not any cemetery. It has to be in this area, and would probably have a small chapel or mausoleum. Something easy to get into, but still isolated enough for them to do this ritual." Armed with this new knowledge Reid begins frantically scanning the map while Morgan asks one of the deputies about any old cemeteries in the area.

"This one! What can you tell me about this one?" Reid asks, pointing to a small spot on the map just barely within the circle.

"General's Peak?" the deputy asks after taking a closer look at the spot Reid was pointing to. "It's the oldest cemetery in this county, dating back about 150 years or so. Huge too. It stopped being used in the 50's when our church established a new cemetery closer to town."

"How far away is it?" Morgan asks.

"From the police station? About an hour."

"We have to get there." Reid says, grabbing his bag and heading towards the door with Morgan and the deputy close behind.

..~~~**~~~..

The first thing Madison is aware of is warm water and the sweet smell of Gardenias. Just under the Gardenias are the familiar scents of rosemary and Frankincense. She can hear the soft splash of water and feel its warmth on her skin. Gentle yet firm hands are holding her, bathing her, support her so she doesn't slip beneath the water. She tries to ask where she is, but all that escapes is a groggy groan.

A woman is speaking soothing words, but Madison can't grasp it all. Only a few words register. "Purification" is one. Is this a purification bath? For what purpose? Why would a hospital give a patient a ritual cleansing?

Madison finally manages to force open her incredibly heavy eyelids, but can't manage to focus on anything. A flesh colored blur with a grey fuzzy halo speaks to her again. More words that take too much energy to decipher are spoken. Was a question asked? Madison makes a small noise that could have been a word. Madison's face scrunches in frustration, her power of speech has been reduced to the level of 6 month old and it's pissing her off.

The blur gently washes Madison's face with the sweet smelling water, the salt in the water stings her wounds. The blur keeps talking, its tone soft and reassuring, pleasant even. Madison's head lolls to the side as she tries to focus on something, anything that might give her a clue to her location. A second blur, enters the room and very carefully lifts her out of the warm water. It too is speaking quietly and reassuringly as she's carried into another room and set down on a soft bed. Is someone brushing her hair? It feels good…soothing. It brings to mind pleasant memories of her Aunt brushing her long red hair.

Someone was supposed to be here. Someone who was to be her protector. Where is he? Why did he leave her? He promised.

"Spencer." she weakly calls, just before sleep takes her again.

..~~~**~~~..

Reid is anxious, almost fidgety as the SUV speeds its way to the cemetery. They've lost their race against the sun as darkness has fallen across the land, but the race against time was still ongoing. If they didn't find her soon, she would be killed, she had said as much.

"_Samhain…the 31__st__…when the veil between the worlds is at its thinnest. For the spell these lunatics want to try, nighttime would be best."_

That is what Madison had said. He puts himself in the shoes of their unsubs. If he were to cast a spell to bring the dead back, he would think midnight would be the best time. But this coming midnight would end the 31st, not usher it in, and Madison had said that it is the 31st when the veil is at its thinnest. Given that he would probably try casting this spell around 11. That gives them just under 5 hours to find Madison. Not a lot of time, especially if he's wrong.

No! He's not wrong. He can't afford to be wrong.

His mind jumps to honey brown eyes that look at him with such reverence…such awe; and a soft kiss full of so many unspoken promises.

Please God, don't let him be wrong about this. Let him get there in time. Please.

..~~~**~~~..

Madison is being carried, and her groggy mind is wondering why the hospital stopped using wheelchairs or gurneys…her insurance can't be _that_ bad. With great effort she manages to open her eyes. She can focus enough to see that the blur who is carrying her is an older man with dark eyes and no hair, but can't make out much more.

Next the man is an equally blurry woman with grey hair and dark eyes. The woman is speaking. But Madison doesn't know if it's to her or to the man carrying her. Her brain is fuzzy and can't make sense of the words spoken.

Blah, blah, blah "…she's perfect…" blah, blah, blah "…almost time…" blah, blah, blah "…will work…" blah, blah, blah.

Madison's eyes close again, but only because it's far easier than trying to keep them open. She keeps listening, hoping something will make sense. Is the woman really saying blah, blah, blah? That thought would've made her giggle if she had the energy to do so.

Cold air suddenly surrounds and cuts through her and she finds herself shivering. Why is the air conditioning on? Did she just ask that out loud?

Distantly she wonders what is going on and exactly what was in that shot the nurse gave her. She is aware of being set in a van and a blanket thrown over her. Grateful for the warmth she curls up, snuggling under the blanket and falls back asleep.

..~~~**~~~..

Reid is nervously fidgeting in the backseat, an accident en route has slowed their progress, to a near crawl, and none of the other team has called with news. Reid bites his tongue to keep from asking how much longer or if there was an alternate route they could take.

'_Please don't let them take me.'_ She had begged. He didn't have to see her to know there was a fearful desperation in her eyes. Reid closes his eyes, trying to push that memory back. It won't help him in this situation. He tries to shift his thoughts to case notes, but instead finds himself reviewing the background Garcia has found on Madison Wilcox.

Her mother died when she was 5, complications from pneumonia. A few months later her father, a manic depressant, admits himself to a local mental hospital because of suicidal thoughts. The day of his release he talks an orderly into giving him a razor and kills himself before being discharged. Madison was sent to live with her maternal aunt, her husband and their 6 year old daughter.

The mental hospital settled out of court, granting a decent settlement to Madison. The money was placed in a trust, listing her aunt and uncle as the executor. Her uncle took that money and invested it properly, turning it into millions. Half of everything he made went back into a trust for Madison to claim upon her 21st birthday.

Madison herself is an accomplished author in the supernatural/fantasy fiction field with two series of books. The first series, which is nearing completion, is her Silver Ring series. A collection of 8 books centering on a young half-breed heir to the Unseelie Court and the political intrigue between him claiming the throne and maintaining the peace between the two fairy courts.

Her other series, Grave Dancers, is a modern alternate reality focusing on a pair of reluctant partners in the police force. Two books have been published, with a third to be released soon and a fourth in process. He read both of these books and was impressed with her understanding of the justice system and her ability to build a believable crime story involving werewolves, vampires and witches.

Reid cradles his head in his hands and breaths quietly. The constant screaming of the siren is making his head is feel like it's about to explode. His stomach is filled with the butterflies of dread. He closes his eyes and all he can see are those honey brown eyes and soft smile.

Please God, let him get there in time.

..~~~**~~~..

This time it's the cold that brings Madison around. Her eyes slowly open, her mouth feels like it's full of cotton and a drug induced fog that filled her brain is slowly lifting.

Madison looks around, but her surroundings raise more questions than answers. The room is dimly lit by over a dozen flickering candles. The room is small, from what she can see, and devoid of any furnishings. The walls are made of old grey stones, the type of masonry that isn't used anymore. The only window she can see is high on the wall to her right and devoid of glass, but that seems to be by design and not vandalism. Through that portal she can clearly see stars sparkling in the darkened sky. What time is it? How long was she out?

Reaching out with her other senses she can feel that she is laying on a cold stony surface. She can smell the fresh crisp October air. Madison lifts her head and sees that she has been dressed in a thin sheath style gown, like the women in the crime scene photos. Dread turns to terror as she finds her feet are tied and her hands are tied above her head have. She's about to scream for help when she hears two people approaching. They're speaking in hushed voices making it impossible for her make out any words. Once they come into the dim light she can see that the man is carrying a small folding tray table and a large canvas bag while the woman carrying, what looks like a Pack-n-Play and a small bundle wrapped in thick layers of blankets.

Nothing is said to her as the man sets down his bag and set up the tray table on her left hand side. Once done he takes the tightly wrapped bundle, bouncing it gently and coos soothing phrases while the woman sets up the Pack-n-Play. Why would they bring a baby here? The man gently set the child in the crib and helps the woman preparing for the ritual.

Madsion is the first to break the silence, politely asking to be released, promising not to tell anyone. The woman hooks a stray grey hair behind her ear before she sweetly pats Madison on the head.

"I'm sorry sweetheart, but we can't do that." The woman says with unexpected sweetness. Her voice is familiar, but it's like trying to recall a dream from several nights ago.

"Just lay back and this will be over soon." The woman says with a reassuring smile.

"Please don't do this. It won't work. You can't bring the dead back." Madison tries to appeal to them logically. Her voice holding a tremor of fear and her heart is racing furiously in her chest.

"It will work this time." To older man says his voice just as calm and friendly.

"This time?" she finds herself asking, their calm and friendly demeanor is almost as terrifying as their intentions.

"Last time we did everything wrong. The circle was too small; it was on the wrong date, at the wrong time. We had the wrong sacrifice and were asking the wrong god." The man explains his voice low and remorseful.

"Don't blame yourself, dear. This time it will work. She's perfect." The woman says, gesturing to Madison.

"No! It won't work. You can't bring the dead back!"

"Not with an animal sacrifice, but with a human…with a human the life force will flow from you and into Joshua. The life force will recognize the human body and fill it. And with you being a witch your magic will give it just that little extra kick." The woman says.

"Little extra kick?" Madison cannot believe what she is hearing. "This isn't a cooking show! Once the life force leaves a body it's gone. It doesn't come back." Without realizing it Madison begins struggling against the ropes.

"We tie a psychic tether to your life force and Joshua's body, that way when your life force leaves it will be pulled back into Joshua." The woman explains as she pulls a large cloth wrapped bundle from the bag and hands it to the man.

"You can't tether a witch." Madison lies, she doesn't know if it's possible or not, but if it means survival she'll play into it. "The tethers break."

"Then your life force will be trapped in the circle, forever earthbound. Your other option is to maintain the tether and live again." The woman explains, setting up several small jars full of various spell components on the edge of the make-shift alter next to Madison.

"Your circle is too big." Madison says in a hurried voice. Talking them out of the ritual seems useless; maybe if she stalls long enough someone will come to her rescue. "And you waited too long between calling the corners." She takes a breath and tries to sound calm, despite the furious pounding against her rib cage.

"And why should we believe you?" the man asks.

"I…I obviously can't talk you out of this. So unless I want to be earthbound, I need to help you succeed. Right?" She says her eyes still wide with fear. The couple exchange looks, but don't say anything.

..~~~**~~~..

General's Peak is as grand as it is old, a wide spanning fence standing 8 feet tall and composed thick grey stones. A local restoration group has taken it upon themselves to maintain the cemetery and is in the process of having the site declared a Historical Site by the Government. It's far from the road, secluded enough for the unsubs' purposes. They silence the siren when they were about two miles from the graveyard. Pulling up to the tall stone gate Morgan point out a small blue hatchback parked a few yards away. The three of them slowly creep into the darkened graveyard with weapons drawn. The graveyard is indeed massive, in the dark Reid can't see the end of this necropolis. They start moving in the dark searching for any structure large enough and obscure enough for a human sacrifice.

"Please God, let me get there in time." Reid whispers softly to himself as they weave among the tombstones.

..~~~**~~~..

The couple drew a smaller, yet still sizable circle around themselves, the altar and the playpen. They ended up using a fair amount of the sea salt they had brought. Why they had so much sea salt Madison really does not want to know. She had drawn out the casting of the circle as long as she could, bringing to mind the most elaborate of rituals usually reserved for complex spells and sacred gathering.

Gods help her she out of ideas, she can't stall them any longer. Her last hope now is that this resurrection ritual they have planned is along and drawn out process. Now that the circle was drawn the couple began laying out the materials and components for their ritual.

"You've been ever so helpful." The woman says, picking up the thick bundle laying on the small tray table the couple brought in with them.

"I'm sorry to do this, but I'm going to have to take your heart out. And you will be alive when that happens."

"Merciful Mother." Madison breaths as she watches the woman carefully lay out all the implements necessary for removing a human heart. The man reaches into the cradle and removes the bundled child and carefully lays it next to Madison.

Her mind is racing, she's stammering, trying to think of something, anything that will stall them or even better stop them. When she watches the woman lay out rib separator her resolves breaks. Out of ideas and out of time she does the only thing she can think of…she screams.

"SPENCER!"

..~~~**~~~..

"Did you hear that?" Morgan asks.

"What was it?" the deputy asks.

"My name." Reid answers taking the lead, heading in a northern direction towards the scream. Towards Madison. Hearing her scream was a heartbreaking relief. He's sorry she's in this situation, but relieved she's still alive. He moves quickly and silently, far ahead of Morgan and the deputy.

Just past the last row of headstones he pauses at the sight of nearly a dozen small mausoleums. He looks at each structure, any one of them could be the correct one, and searching all of them will take up too much time. A clue, he just needs a single clue and then he sees it, a faint glow coming from under the door of the tallest building.

"That one." He says.

The three of the rush the building. Morgan and Reid stand on either side of the door while the deputy kicks the door open. The three of them rush in, ordering everyone to freeze. Madison's tear stain eyes find Reid, the relief in them is overwhelming.

"Put the knife down." The deputy barks, pulling Reid's attention to the couple standing on either side of a gagged Madison. The woman is a small scalpel up to the sky, her eyes filled with rage and hate as she stares at the men.

"No! This time it's perfect! You can't stop us!" she screams. The deputy repeats his order for her drop the knife, adding the warning that he'll shoot if she doesn't. When the knife begins to come down a deafening gunshot echoes in the confined space and the woman stumbles back, dropping the knife and grabbing her shoulder.

Reid takes a breath, it his was his gun that fired the shot and ended the standoff. Morgan and the Deputy rush in to arrest the couple. Reid rushed over to Madison and quickly freed her from the ropes and removed her gag.

"Are you ok?" he asks.

Without hesitation she throws her arms about his neck and holds him tightly.

"Please get me out of here." She whimpers in a small voice. Reid scoops her up in his arms and carries her out of the building and back towards the SUV.

A couple of hours later the graveyard was swarming with police, paramedics and FBI. The BAU were assisting local law enforcement in how to handle the Emersons while in custody as well as how to handle any press or political fallout that may or may not arise from this arrest. Reid was checking on Madison who was now sitting in the back of an ambulance wrapped in a blanket.

"Thank you." She says to Reid as a paramedic wraps her wounded wrist. "I mean I know that words aren't enough, but….thank you."

"uh…you're welcome."

"so..um, what are you doing later?" she asks awkwardly. "I mean maybe we get a drink or a cup of coffee. Well, maybe a pot of coffee, I've seen you drink coffee."

"We'll be heading back to Quantico early in the morning." Reid states.

"Oh."

"Maybe tonight?" Reid hears himself ask.

"The paramedic wants to take to the hospital to have my wrist checked out."

"Oh, yeah. That would make sense. I, uh, better get back to my team." Reid says. Without warning she leaps to her feet grabs his tie and kisses him. He in turn cups her face and returns her kiss.

"Check it out." Morgan says, gesturing towards Madison and Reid from a distance. Prentiss pauses mid-sentence and watches. Her jaw drops and Morgan gives a quiet shout out when the young couple kiss. The pair then quietly groan and voice their disapproval to each other when Reid pushes her away. They can see him talking, and don't have to be within earshot to know that he's probably trying to convince her that what she's feeling isn't real. He might even be trying to explain that whole transference thing. Then without warning, she kisses him again. Morgan and Prentiss exchange approving looks, and smiles.

"This isn't transference." Madison counters when their lips part. "This is woman who is interested in you." She grabs his hand and produces a sharpie from somewhere and proceeds to write a ten digit number on his palm.

"This is my number in Virginia. I'll be home in a couple of weeks, why don't you call me and we can hook up for coffee or something."

Reid looks at his hand. "You know I have an eidetic memory. You could've just told me your number."

"Nope, I had to write it. When a girl gives a boy her phone number she has to write it on either a napkin or his hand. It's tradition." She explains.

"Is it tradition to use permanent marker?"

"Uh…no. the paramedic wouldn't loan me his pen."

..~~~**~~~..

Three weeks later…

It's late at night and team is packing up to call it a day. Reid sets in desk in order, as Morgan leans on his cubical wall "So have you called her yet?"

"Madison? No, she's…she's not interested."

"How do you know?"

"Come on Morgan, look at me. What do I have to offer her?"

"More than you give yourself credit for. Look kid, you're always asking me for advice with girls. So here's some advice; call her."

"I don't know."

"Reid, I saw that kiss. You know the one in the graveyard."

"You saw that?" a bright red blush fills Reid's cheeks.

"Yeah I did. Call her, kid. Take her out somewhere. See where it goes. When a woman writes her number on your hand, she wants you to call." And with that Morgan pushes away from the cubicle and heads towards the elevators.

Reid stares at the phone on his desk for a moment before picking up the handset and dialing the number Madison gave him. The phone rings three times, and he's aboutto hang up when she answers.

"Madison? It's uh, Dr. Spencer Reid, Spencer. I was wondering if maybe you wanted to go out sometime?...Really? How about this Saturday?...Um, ok I'll, uh, I'll see you then." He hangs up the phone a grin on his face from ear to ear.

The End?

._..~~~**~~~.._.


End file.
